Many graphical user interfaces (GUIs) employ one or more dropdown lists, by which a list of predetermined options for a particular type of input (e.g., a selection of a particular state in the United States) are presented for selection by the user, such as by way of a mouse-click on a predetermined control area in the GUI associated with the dropdown list. In at least some cloud-based applications, the data identifying the items in the dropdown list are loaded prior to the dropdown list control, such as a box with a downward-facing arrow, being displayed on the GUI. Accessing the data identifying the list in such a manner thus ensures that a user selection may be received and processed synchronously (e.g., as soon as the dropdown list control is available on the GUI). As the data in these examples is retrieved from the cloud (e.g., from a server accessible via a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet), a delay between the time a GUI is to be presented and the time the GUI is actually presented to the user may be incurred to allow downloading of the data identifying the list items. In addition, this delay may be exacerbated when the number of elements in the list is high and/or when multiple such dropdown list controls are to be displayed in the GUI.